Abstract

Particle and Cell Manipulation Using Surface Acoustic Waves

Ye Ai, Assistant Professor, Singapore University Of Technology And Design

Acoustics has emerged as one of the most promising non-invasive techniques for particle manipulation in microfluidics. In this presentation, I will talk about a surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based microfluidic device for manipulating micro/nano-scale particles and biological cells. The microfluidic device is comprised of two components, a SAW transducer and a microfluidic channel made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The SAW transducer was fabricated by patterning two pairs of interdigital electrodes on a lithium niobate (LiNbO3) piezoelectric substrate. When exciting the SAW transducer by AC signals, a standing SAW field is generated across the cross-section of the channel. I will demonstrate the patterning of micron-sized particles (e.g. polystyrene particles and red blood cells) and nanometer-sized particles (e.g. carbon nanotubes). The mechanism of the SAW-based patterning technique will be discussed. The same type of particles with varying sizes responds to the SAW field differently, leading to a potential for cell separation. I will also demonstrate the separation of E. coli bacteria from peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples using a standing SAW field. I envision that the merging of acoustics and microfluidics could enable various particle and cell manipulations needed in microfluidic applications.